Vouchers, such as a discount coupons or gift certificates, are negotiable certificates, issued by a merchant, that represent credit against future purchases of the issuing merchant's goods or services. Paper-form and debit card vouchers have been well-known in the art for some time, and are commonly used forms of payment in face-to-face retail transactions. However, the increasing popularity among consumers of purchasing goods and services electronically over the Internet has created a need in the art for electronic vouchers that may be used in e-commerce transactions.
Although proprietary electronic voucher systems currently exist, such systems are very expensive to develop and maintain, and place the issuance of electronic vouchers beyond the reach of most small businesses. Moreover, existing electronic vouchers consist of nothing more than a simple number or keyword that a consumer is prompted to enter during an e-commerce transaction. A number or keyword cannot match the marketing and advertising power of a paper voucher or certificate, which typically displays a corporate logo or other imagery that identifies the issuing merchant. Finally, some known voucher systems force consumers to install proprietary software modules on their computers in order to operate, which may dissuade some consumers from utilizing the electronic vouchers.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for an electronic voucher system that may be implemented using software that is currently available to the consumer, that contains memorable imagery identifying the issuing merchant, and that may easily be implemented without incurring the expense of proprietary code development and maintenance.